The border between Turkey and Syria is 500 miles long, dotted by hundreds of little villages and anchored by small, fully-functioning cities (complete with airports). There’s plenty of street food: kebab stands, men slinging long footprints of cheese or meat-strewn pide (flatbreads), little storefronts and carts where you can grab a cone of chewy, dense Turkish ice cream for under fifty cents. … Read More
In the Land of Mezze, Matoug is King
Gaza is full of Middle Eastern cafes slinging hummus, tabouleh, and grilled meats. In fact, I have yet to see a restaurant here that is NOT full of mezze and kebabs. No Tequila Sushi Boom Boom in these parts. With so many restaurants serving so many of the same things, it comes down to the freshness of ingredients, the breadth … Read More
In Gaza, When the Fire Ceases, the Bakery Reopens
For weeks, Gaza City has been a ghost town, as people shuttered businesses, locked their doors and took shelter. But the recent ceasefire has felt different to residents here — they believe this one will hold — and beginning Tuesday, intrepid owners tentatively reopened their cafes, markets began to bustle, and city dwellers emerged to do their shopping and return … Read More
Dining in Dnipropetrovsk: Reporter Restaurant
In the nearly unpronounceable town of Dnipropetrovsk sits Reporter, one of the best restaurants I’ve found in Ukraine — at the recommendation of a reporter, naturally. (Want to know where to eat in a weird place? Ask a journalist. Or just read this blog.) Reporter bills itself as an “unusual restaurant,” so-named because (and I must crib from its website … Read More
Quick Snack: Road Food, In Photos
Van picnics: because sometimes there’s no time to eat, no place to eat, and no appetite to speak of. Among the good finds in Ukraine: sweet, soft sugar cookies; coffee-flavored, candy coated peanuts; Ukrainian sausage and hot coffee, poured from our driver’s thermos. He also brought a bunch of parsley and raw garlic clove. Because why not.